You Found Me
by MaliJo
Summary: Hans was sent to Arendelle for an arranged marriage to Princess Anna yet falls for the other sister who hid behind a closed door, Elsa. Resulting in a romance of secrecy and lies. He leaves on behalf of his father's death and returns to follow through with his marriage to Anna only to find that he left behind more than he thought, an insecure Queen and a child of his own... (Helsa)
1. Conceal, Don't Feel

**A/N:**** Hi everyone! Another new story, God knows I shouldn't publish another when I have so many others to take care of but... eh. **

**I'm bringing back this story (because I deleted it a while ago) and may change the summary a lot... The most IMPORTANT thing to note is that Hans is 12 years old, Elsa is 9 and Anna is 6. Please don't forget and picture them as adults, I'll inform you of their new ages as they grow in future chapters. I should update once or twice a week, if everything goes to plan!**

**RATED T: For some language, minor violence, dark and suggestive themes. You have been warned.**

**DISCLAIMER: Praise the day I'll own Frozen, for right now... I don't :O**

**READ ON! x**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Conceal Don't Feel

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><p><em><strong>Princess Elsa's Chambers (One year after the accident)<strong>_

It was a beautiful clear night in Arendelle. The silver stars were shining and the moon was watching over the sleeping country of Norway. The Princess Elsa sat at a desk in her confined room with an untouched plate of salmon and boiled potatoes before her, going cold from the extra chill in the air.

She suddenly heard the door unlock and creak open, one set of heeled footsteps sounded throughout the room as her mother, Queen Aida strolled in, her features laced with fear. Aida closed the door behind her and sighed against it.

"What is wrong, mamma?" Elsa asked, shifting sideways in her seat. Aida slowly walked over and set a glass of water upon the desk Elsa was placed.

"Nothing Elsa, nothing at all" Aida briskly informed her, reaching out a thick book and setting it on her lap as she regally sat herself on Elsa's bed, shivering as her body touched the cold fabric. Elsa swallowed, fidgeting in her gloves.

"Please recite your two times tables" Aida ordered, flipping through some pages in the book she was holding. Elsa swivelled her chair round to face her mother and jumped back on it, clasping her hands together against her chest.

Aida or King Edwin, her father, would often travel to her room at various hours of the day and proceed in teaching Mathematics, Literacy, History and many other subjects anyone would teach their child.

"One times two is one, two times two is four..." Elsa began, Aida nodded at each correct answer.

"Five times two is ten, six times two is twelve..." The reciting went on until Aida had swiftly asked Elsa to move on to the three times tables.

"Actually mamma, I wanted to ask you something..." Elsa spoke quietly, holding either hand of hers behind her back. Aida glanced up at her and set the book she was reading down onto the bed.

"What is it, Elsa?" She asked with confused glaze across her deep brown eyes.

"I was wondering if... well... Anna told me that there were people-"

"You talked to Anna?!" Aida's throat went dry, she appeared angry and ...scared. Elsa reached out her hands and waved them slightly to calm her mother down.

"No! Anna talked to _me_ ... t-through the door" Elsa stammered. Aida placed a hand to her chest a let a sigh of relief escape her mouth.

"Elsa, don't scare me like that!" She panted, circling the small space around her.

"But I wanted to ask if maybe I could see the people as well" Elsa began.

"What people?" Aida questioned.

"Anna told me that there's a Prince coming to stay with us and I thought that maybe I could... play with him and Anna"

"Elsa you know you can't because of your _curse_"

"Yes I know but I've learnt how to control it, I promise!"

Aida eyed Elsa with a frown, many times had Elsa explained this to her parents, many times she failed to keep it hidden. Suddenly Elsa started to pull her gloves off, one byy one as quick as she could. Aida took a step back, her eyes widening.

"Elsa, put them back on immediately!" The Queen demanded, holding out her hands in front of her.

"But Mamma, watch!" Elsa took a deep breath before picking up her glass of water on the desk with both her bare hands. She swallowed some doubts as she watched the glass shake in her hold. But then, she relaxed once she noticed it was staying a luke-warm water. Her face lit up, she ahd practiced for weeks. She'd done it.

"See!" Elsa beamed, holding out the water for Aida to examine. However, Aida still took a step back as Elsa moved forward with the glass.

"Elsa, did you not listen to me!?" Aida swallowed, motioning her eyes towards the gloves that were layed out where the glass of water once was. Elsa looked back towards the gloves and her smile faded.

"But Mamma, I don't need them, look..." Elsa desperately held the glass of still water to her mother who continued to back away. All Elsa really wanted to do is join her sister and this new Prince in a game, maybe a story or a dance. Why was that too much to ask.

After a while she felt tear bruise the inside of her eyelids and push violently, treatening to all spill out. The water in her hand slowly started to freeze and her heart was thudding so hard she believed it may pump straight out of her chest. She couldn't hold it back anymore, a single tear fell like a heavy weight down from the corner of her eyes and froze once it ran along her cheek before shattering into tiny shards at her feet.

Aida took the heavy glass of ice from Elsa and placed it back ont he table before gently picking up the small blue glaves and holding them out at a safe distance for Elsa to take. Elsa eyed them sheepishly and turned her face away, soaking back in the remaining tears that swelled around her eyes.

"I don't want them" Elsa sobbed bluntly, keeping her eyes pinned onto the floor beside her.

"You will wear them" Aida ordered throught gritted teeth. Elsa quickly spun around to face her mother with fearful and agitated eyes.

"I don't want them!" She shouted back at Aida who was knelt down before her. Aida then stood up slowly, glaring at her daughter with disapointement.

"You are the Devil's piece of work, do you know that?" Aida sniffed harshly.

"No!"

"Yes! Yes you are, now wear you gloves for _God's _sake".

Elsa bent down to pick up the gloves that had been flung to the floor and reached out her right hand to retrieve them until Aida banged her heel on the floor.

"You're choosing the Devil's hand" Aida remarked. Elsa quickly put her left hand behind her back and hooked the gloves around her right hand instead. She studied them for a minute, the navy blue fabric, all too familiar, all too confined.

"Please..." Elsa nearly begged, looking up at Aida with sad weary eyes. Aida tilted her head and bent down, stroking Elsa's cheek softly with the back of her hand.

"Elsa, we're doing this for you, we don't want you or anyone else to get hurt, that's all" Aida explained with a small, half smile. Elsa slowly slid her right hand into her right glove.

"Can I eat dinner with everyone tomorrow? But in the dining room, not up here" Elsa daringly asked. Aida sighed and stood back up to walk away.

"Goodnight Elsa" was all she ended with before she closed the doors. Elsa waited for a second, expecting that familiar turn of the key in the door. Soon enough, it came, locking all of her hopes with it.

That night she heard foot steps approaching her door. It must have been at least midnight and she was still wide awake, thinking, crying. There were three quiet but excited knocks vibrating on the door. Elsa didn't answer, she just stared at the door longingly.

"Elsa, have you seen the sky!" A loud whisper sounded from behind the wood. Anna, Elsa would recognise that bubbly voice anywhere.

"The sky is very awake today" the redhead continued. Elsa opened her mouth to talk, but she closed it again. Her memories dancing around her mind, her father's words echoing in her ears.

_Conceal don't feel, conceal don't-_

"And maybe tomorrow, you would like to go to the mountains and, and... build a snowman?" Anna finally asked, propping herself against the door and peering through the keyhole. She saw nothing but darkness, the cold filtered through the keyhole and started to sting her eyes so she removed it discretely.

After a few more moments of waiting with no reply, Anna turned around and started to walk back to her own chamber. Elsa faced her wide windows, the sky really _was _awake. Completely blue, completely beautiful. A tear ran down her cheek.

"Yes, I would love to go to the mountains and build a snowman" Elsa whispered into the empty darkness as she watched the faint movement of a star whoosh past the sky at a tremendous speed that she almost missed it.

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><p><em><strong>The Ship of the Southern Isles (The Seas of Arendelle, The next day)<strong>_

The sun was blazing through the clouds and dancing upon the surface of the smooth waves of Arendelle. The ship of the Southern Isles was heading North, a spek in the distance from anyone in the city that was blanketing in a warm and enchanting Summer.

And who would be aboard that glorious wooden vessel with the flag displayed high? The Prince Hans Westerguard of course. Youngest of thirteen sons but arguably, the smartest. He harboured neat auburn hair which was mostly combed back, emerald green eyes and a very intruiging and stern chin bone. Yes, Hans, youngest Prince of the Southern Isles was on his way to his future, and for a boy of twelve years old, it really was a big event in his book.

He stood arched slightly over the thick wooden railings on the ship, glaring down into his reflection in the fast-flowing water which mirrored him almos perfectly had it not been for the waves distorting his image. He was immersed in his thoughts that seemed to be swirling around his mind faster than the ship beneath his feet. The slight sea sickness didn't help either, it just piled along with the stress, creating a nose-scrunching headache.

As Hans coninued to loose himself in a huge maze of thoughts, mostly consisting of worries... He felt a hard hand slap playfully across his back, jerking him forward slightly. Hans gripped onto the railings for safety and swallowed as he felt his heartbeat gallop around his insides. He was _not _expecting that.

He narrowed his eyes and pivoted on his heels to face none other than one of the two brothers that were accompanying him to Arendelle. The one that stood before him was the only one he had a moderate ammount of respect for. Erik.

Ah yes, Erik. Sleek ebony hair that shaddowed those almond eyes of his. Hans was never overly fond of him and the way he would brag about not being the youngest despite he was only two years older than Hans and the twelth son. He only _just _got away with doing that.

Hans especially didn't approave of the way Erik would often suck up to the older brothers when they were in their midsts. But then again, Hans didn't approave or even _like _any of his brother for that matter. They were all 'vile' as he once quoted, not that they listened or cared about his opinion anyway.

Erik shivered as he felt Hans' piercing eyes search for a suitable excuse as to why Erik disturbed him.

"H-hey little brother..." Erik stammered, scratching the back of his neck. Hans stared into the recieving eyes of his brother, clearly not amused. Erik could sense that his younger brother was in no mood to talk but he took a step forward beside Hans anyway and proceeded to speak.

"Cold feet?" He asked, facing in the same direction Hans was. The city of Arendelle and the mountains overlapping eachother in the distance. Hans registered Erik's words but didn't respond. A faint smirk crept along the lips of Erik as his next planned words rolled from his tongue.

"You may be ruler of this kingdom one day, what do you think of that?"

Hans responded in an uneaven tone, licking his lips before he spoke.

"I don't think much of it" he finally answered. Erik glanced to his still emotionless face with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh really?" Erik queeried, adopting a light and airy voice. Hans nodded.

"Ok then, what are your thoughts on the Princess" Erik questioned, a snarl hanging from his mouth. Hans closed his eyes and sighed and released his grip of the railings before once again turning to face his pestering brother.

"Tell me Erik, how would you feel if you were on your way right now to meet the girl you would have to spend the rest of your life with?" Hans asked, taking slow breaths to keep from punching his ignorent brother, soemthing he wanted to do to actually... all of his siblings. Erik felt slightly bewhildered, not really knowing how to answer him. Instead, he looked through Hans to see Arendelle closer than ever thought. They were smoothly entering the Fjord.

"Exactly" Hans concluded once he got no direct reply and with that, he walked away without another word, ready to disembark the ship. And thank goodness too, he felt his insides had been churning around his stomach like a foul potion in the sea air.

He regally stepped down from the ship and onto the harbour, dusting his musky green-coloured jacket off once both his feet were flat on the ground. He could hear the reoccuring sounds of footsteps on wooden planks travel throughout the harbour. He hated it already.

The Southern Isles, his only source of comfort was now hudreds of miles away didn't set on him very well. Each step in Arendelle felt like scorching fire. Each time he took a leap forward, he was getting further and further away from home.

_What good will possibly come out of this anyway? _He wondered. After all, he was pretty concerned when his father and his... _wife _told him that _he _was going to Arendelle to be wed, out of all his unmarried brothers who were older and stronger, they chose Hans, there was something fishy going on but he knew that throwing a tantrum would just make matters worse.

No matter how many times he closed his eyes and envisioned himself back at home, in the comfort of his chamber, his locked door and chess board... He only opened them again to yet more dread and stress... people. He wasn't very fond of people, he prefered to be alone. All these people walking around, smiling at him was making him nervous, making his hands go damp with fear. Somehow he managed to conceal it beneath gritted teeth and dry eyes.

Hans let a sigh escape his mouth as he failed to notice Erik walking beside him, a loopy grin pasted upon his lower face.

"On our way to meet the Princess then!" Erik declared heroicly, draping an arm around his smaller brother. Hans awkwardly shrugged Erik's arm off of his shoulder and watched as the brown-eyed boy presented to him a pleading frown.

Before Erik could open his mouth a let more words flow through, a high pitched and shrivelled cry sounded from aboard the ship behind them. The two turned their heads in sync to fin the Queen on the Southern Isles angrily marching down the gangplank and onto the harbour, her face lightly dusted an agrivated shade of scarlet.

Queen Mona. Dark brown eyes with a tinge of amber and eboney black hair that reached her hips. Had it not been for her extremely pale skin and flecks of evil fanned across her irises, she would have been able to pass off as Erik's mother. The thought made him shudder slightly.

Hans didn't care for his many brothers that cursed, ignored and beat him most days but his hatred for Queen Mona reached further than the deepest depths of the Pacific Ocean. In other words, extremely deep.

She scurried towards the two boys with a small string of maids trailing behind her carrying documents and luggage of all kinds.

"Erik dear, can you excuse us a minute?" She spoke, flashing a convincing enough smile in his direction. Hans rolled his eyes as he watched Erik nod his head quickly and scuttle away. Erik sucked up to Mona as _well_ as the brothers.

"What is it?" Hans asked, itching to get as far away from the wench as he could.

"You walk in there with a bit more entusiasm, do you understand and don't you dare embaress me today, if you embaress me-"

"You embaress the entire kingdom of the Southern Isles" Hans closed up her sentance for her, keeping his eyes drifting anywhere but _her_. She glared at him with a piercing golden gaze.

"Yes, and don't forget it" she frowned.

"Anything else?" Hans asked lazily.

"Yes, keep your problems to yourself, the whole reason you're here is to-"

"What problems?!" He suddenly yelled in defence.

"Hans... be quiet, you know exactly what I'm talking about" she hushed him with eyes of secrecy.

"No, no I don't"

"Conceal them"

"Conceal what exacly?!"

"CONCEAL THEM!" Mona had yelled much louder than she intended and looked around wearily only to sigh with relief that there wasn't anybody close enough to hear. She walked away to find Erik, shooting Hans a look of disgust, of dissapointement before she turned her back on him, like everybody else.

If there's one thing he couldn't stand more on this Earth than his brothers it was Queen Mona. Her voice, her careless and snobby ways of life and the way she had such high expectations of _him_ in particular. Every aspect of her made him cringe, it was even worse that she was his step mother. He attended meetings with her, he passed her in the halls, he lived with her under his roof, he saw her each day when he wasn't hiding behind a closed door. _...Closed doors._

Oh how Mona had magically swooped in once his real mother's death. The mother he loved, the mother he missed, the mother who had cared for him more than anyone else and the mother who commited suicide on the highest cliffs of the Southern Isles.

After a few grunts of past memories which he spends most of his time trying to forget and a couple of curses under his breath, he decided to walk away through the busy city of Arendelle. That's when he smelt it... his first glimpse of home arising in this new and intimidating space. Bread, warm crusty bread aromas from the bakery on his left.

_Sandwiches _was his first thought and after that second, he felt a tiny bit more relaxed but he didn't smile, the corner of his mouth didn't even twitch the slightest bit. No, he just mentally noted his feelings towards this place. Neutral.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Please review and tell me what you think! Can I possibly get some follows and favourites too? ;) **

**I'm open for suggestions, questions, or just a friendly chat if you like, I don't even mind fan-girling with you guys over Hans' adorable freckles and auburn locks and... green eyes O-O**

**I dedicate this story to my main man, Aidan. (aka war against ships/aidan bale) LOVE YOU! x **

**~MaliJo x**


	2. They Know Nothing

_Previously:_

_Hans, his step-mother and two of his brothers arrived in Arendelle for Hans' arranged marriage. We also caught a glimpse of the life Elsa had behind doors and her wilting relationship with her sister._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

They Know Nothing

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><p>King Edwin and Queen Aido stood nervously in their palace of Arendelle, facing the doors hand in hand as if the doors and themselves were nothing less or more than arch enemies, restricted to certain limits when it came to befriending whoever would walk through them.<p>

Aida swallowed as Edwin gave her hand a small and gentle squeeze.

"It will all be fine, you'll see" he reassured her with a faint smile that she strained badly to return to her husband beside her.

The gates hadn't been opened to the public or any other neighbouring kingdoms for a whole year and in their opinion, for good reason. The royals were practically shaking in their fine leather boots with nervousness, especially Aida as a bunch of 'what-ifs' were swimming around the couple's minds and they worriedly gripped onto each other's clothing and hands for moral support and comfort, anything to take their stressed minds off of their doubts, mostly about Elsa.

_What if they see her?_

_What if…_

_What if… _

_What if?_

_What if-_

Aida's thoughts were rudely interrupted as Anna bounced into the air like a small but loud bubble, her small arms flying wildly above her as she giggled in glee. Maybe the King and Queen were going out of their minds in fear of all their secrets pouring out into the hands of the Westerguards but that was _no _exception for young and naive Anna who had no recordable memory of Elsa's powers or in fact, not many of _Elsa _herself at all.

"Anna, please settle down" Edwin demanded in a wobbly but hushed tone of voice.

"But I just can't!" She protested. Edwin shot her a stern, sidewards glance and her once-wide smile subsided before she wilted like a dead flower to stand in between her parents. Even though she stood tall with pride, a small lingering smile was still visible as she was almost physically glowing, burning with excitement.

Anna turned to face her mother and father, wondering why they were behaving so anxious. Aida took a deep and thick inhale and Edwin ran his slightly-damp and clammy hands across his clothing and they both struggled in great effort to let the ghost of a smile settle upon their features, for the good of the visiting kingdom, that was all.

Suddenly, the main doors to the entrance of the palace flew open, causing the monarchs' hearts to stop dead in their tracks. Aida only frowned once they caught sight the small and loyal butler, Kai who shuffled awkwardly into the crisp atmosphere, hurriedly slamming the door closed behind him. A loopy and slightly guilty smile lined his uptight lips as he finally caught sight of both Aida and Edwin, appearing dreadfully unamused.

"Any news on the Westerguards?" Edwin asked, concern lining his voice like varnish, hoping to get this meeting over and done with so the time that the gates could once again close approached them quicker.

Kai clasped his hands together behind his back and puffed his chest out before stepping lightly towards the King and Queen.

"They are here and requesting your presence, immediately" he spoke up, formally watching as Edwin cleared his throat and released his grip on Aida's hand. The King and Queen shared a look, somehow discussing such answers through eye contact and facial expressions.

"Ahem" Kai interrupted the two.

"What is it?" Aida spoke, a tone of annoyance in her shaky voice.

"I'm sorry but are you _sure _you want to go through with this? It's not too late to send them back to Denmark…"

"No" both Edwin and Aida answered up in defence.

"We made this deal over a year ago and me and my husband has since then arranged a new plan" Aida explained, looking to the ground in sorrow. Kai nodded in acknowledgement before Edwin cut into the conversation.

"Let them in" the King ordered calmly.

"Yes, your majesty" Kai drifted towards the doors and fumbled with the handles before pulling open the doors for the first time in a long while, causing sunlight to spill upon the smooth marble floor at their feet.

Anna's eyes popped like balloons and candy, her smile wide and her eyes shined brightly with anticipation. Oh how she waited patiently for this day to come all year, even more than Christmas. This was the day she would finally have a real friend. Someone to talk to, someone to share secrets with, play with. Her _Prince. _

Kai pushed the doors against the walls, exposing to the Arendelle family, four main figures that Anna awaited and that Edwin and Aida dreaded.

"Presenting… Queen Mona of the Southern Isles!" Kai stubbly announced. A woman with long charcoal hair and a silk scarlet dress emerged through the doorway, her features and colours coming more and more clear before the blinding sunlight.

Queen Mona glided gracefully onto their marble flooring and in full view of both Edwin and Aida as she politely bowed. Edwin and Aida then returned the gesture and glared at one another in a rather uncomfortable silence.

Mona looked to Kai expectantly, silently ushering him on to introduce the others. Kai coughed and repeated the same process the follow alongside the other boys.

"Prince Johan, of the Southern Isles. Prince Erik of the Southern Isles and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles…"

All three Princes stepped out proudly. Well… all besides Hans who was overall reluctant to join the others in their obedient and sickening poses.

Anna was practically beaming as each one stood forward. More brothers simply meant more fun in her mind. How ever, Johan looked far too straight and proper for her liking as he puffed out his chest like a soldier recruit in line. He emitted the feeling that Anna would receive on the rare occasion of her sister, Elsa making an appearance.

But Erik on the other hand looked like one of those people who would always stay young at heart and mind as he attempted smart only to look like a true goon. Now _he _would be fun to tease!

Last but not least, Hans. This was apparently the boy she was waiting for. But why did he seem so… peculiar? Why did he look so uncomfortable of and in his surroundings, not wanting to be here. Even Anna, a young child could sense that much like Johan, Hans was shut off… shut out. It also sadly reminded her of Elsa.

Just as Anna was about to get carried away and jump forward to introduce herself _'Anna style', _Edwin cut in with a stern but confident tone edging his raspy voice.

"I shall show your sons to their rooms myself" Edwin announced. Hans cringed at the thought of being _Mona's_ son, obviously finding the idea disturbing.

"Meanwhile, my wife needs to speak to you about some… arrangements" he added, glancing over to Aida who cleared her throat.

Mona's 'happy to be here' smile disappeared but she kept that same polite posture as she did so.

"D-don't worry…" Aida stammered "we think this… _change _isn't too far from home if you get what I mean…"

"I see…" Mona spoke, shifting her weight onto her other foot slowly.

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><p>King Edwin lead the three smart boys through the start of the palace halls and tall, grand archways, pointing eagerly to portraits on the walls, sculptures and the royal red and gold tapestry to pass the time it took to travel from the palace entrance, to the royal guest chambers.<p>

Hans didn't pay much attention to what Edwin was saying. He trailed along with the group like a luggage truck, just counting down the seconds till he could once again return back home. Forget what he thought about Arendelle being neutral, it was tiring, it was _torture_ and he wanted nothing more than to go back to his small and confined room in the Southern Isles and lock himself away from the pestering voices of Erik being an idiot, Mona and her _great expectations _of Hans and well… Johan was actually completely ignoring Hans, pretending he was invisible so that was a 'win' on Hans' part.

As he strolled along, he couldn't help but dubiously feel a pair of eyes boring into him almost expectantly. The way Mona stared at him was completely and utterly different from what he felt tingling across his skin right now. Mona would glare and hiss at him to stand straight and look regal but the person eyeing him right now was somehow viewing him in awe… and wonder.

Hans sheepishly peered over his shoulder where the small Princess Anna was stealing the occasional glance at him. He frowned at her as she beamed up at him innocently, appearing far too happy for such an awful situation and bleak atmosphere. She simply shrugged and giggled as she heard him grunt impatiently to himself and soon reached up to grasp her father's right hand.

"Here is your room, Johan" Edwin informed the bulky male and Johan sternly nodded in the King's direction before striding into his new but temporary room for his stay. Anna was mostly happy that Johan had detached from the slow-moving cluster of royals due to the fact that he spoke no words and appeared almost as an emotionless robot. _Intimidating _would best describe the eldest Westerguard son of this generation.

"And here…" Edwin came to a halt to gently push open the door which then exposed a plain but elegant room with two single beds and a large window in the center, overlooking the Fjord that sparkled and glistened golden and teal in the summer sunlight.

"Is your room" Edwin finished, gesturing for the remaining Princes to acquaint themselves with their new chamber.

Hans was slightly disappointed with the agonizingly dreadful fact that he'd be sharing his room with _Erik _of all people. No doubt in his mind that Mona had arranged such a plan in order to separate Hans from his 'isolation' as she labeled it or perhaps for the most hopeless attempt of 'cool' brother to keep an eye on him.

"Thank you err… sir!" Erik stammered, scratching the back of his neck before awkwardly stumbling into his new chamber, earning a muffled giggle from the entertained Anna. Hans followed shortly after, sighing deeply at Erik's clumsiness.

"Dinner is at six o'clock sharp each evening, I shall leave you to get settled" Edwin explained before closing their door and heading back down to the ground floor, Anna in tow.

Hans collapsed onto the left bed, facing the wall with his back turned rudely to Erik as he closed away from all sound, hoping and silently praying that this was nothing more than one for his many terrible nightmares and that today would all be over the next time his eyes would open.

"Cheer up, Hans… I'm sure Elisa will approach you soon" Erik grinned, lightly placing his palm on Hans' shoulder and giving the tired redhead and small shake.

"_Elsa, _Erik... it's _Elsa" _Hans corrected him, his eyes half closed as he sighed in annoyance at yet another trait of stupidity orbiting around his poor unfortunate sibling, bold and plain like the moon that circled the Earth.

"Whatever her name is, I heard she's stunning!" Erik cooed, clapping his hands together like a girl back in highschool.

"She's also nine years old" Hans deadpanned, dimming the already-awkward silence to a lanky grey.

Erik sat in peace for a while, looking to the floor with a frown and contemplating on what he should say to Hans, how he should approach him.

"Come on, stop being so God damn grumpy, lighten up because we're in Arendelle for fuck's sake!" Erik growled, becoming impatient and slightly annoyed by Hans' shut-off attitude.

"Exactly" Hans replied blandly.

Erik slowly exhaled. They were just a mere disagreement away from Erik giving up on Hans for the day. Feeling slightly exhausted what with the long journey from Denmark to Norway and the weight of Mona's wishes for Hans pulling him down, he almost felt like a show puppy or a messenger pigeon, no rest of such delicate duties. The dark-haired boy took a small step back and let his gaze flip over to Hans' lying form.

"You know… I'm only trying to help you. Mona and Johan are as well, they know that-"

"They know _nothing_ about me" Hans spat with disgust. "Now leave me alone".

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Just a short chapter but I'm proud of myself for getting this out the next day! **

**Helsa won't begin until maybe chapter 4 or 5. It will also start off as just friendship, next chapter is when Hans sees her for the first time though :D God, I love Hans... he's a babe ;) **

**Please leave a review to tell me what you think and check out my other Helsa stories! :3**

**~MaliJo x**


	3. The Girl Behind the Door

_Previously:_

_The Westerguards became acquainted with the Arendelle royals. King Edwin took the boys away to their rooms where Hans is starting to feel homesick and Queen Aida pulled away Queen Mona to speak in private._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

The Girl Behind the Door

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><p>"What is it you wanted to discuss?" Mona questioned Aida as the two elegant women strolled down a long coridoor where the ceiling reached the height of an old oak tree and framed paintings and other rich decor dotted the walls like ants.<p>

"Well..." Aida started nervously, wringing her hands together in slight fear as Mona glared at her expectantly.

"There's been a slight change in our original plans... about _Hans _that is..." Aida finally admitted.

Mona perked up and tilted her head towards Aida who was slightly shorter than herself. Aida swallowed before stiffling a small and presentable smile and absent mindedly running her fingers through her chocolate-brown hair.

"We don't think you'll be too upset" Aida reasurred her as they came to an indefinate and slow halt.

"Please, just tell me" Mona ordered politely, smoothing out a small crease in her burgundy-coloured renaisence dress that reached her ankles. Aida gradually exhaled, mentally preparing herself for a bad outcome which was bound to follow like a shadow.

"Since the last time we saw you, there's been some... _changes_" Aida began.

"What kind of changes?" Mona queeried.

"Well..."

"Honestly, with all do respects your mejesty, just have it out with because if this involves either of my step-sons, I should like to know-"

"Prince Hans"

"Oh..." Mona sighed, appearing somewhat disapointed as the boy's name was mentioned and cleared her throat to speak before Aida stole oportunity.

"You remember the last you were here?" Aida sighed contently.

"Yes, we arranged my step-sons' marriage to your daughter... Elsa, was it?" Mona replied, tapping her chin gently.

"Indeed but I'm afraid that Elsa can't... she can't participate in it any more and-"

"What?!" Mona widened her eyes as her voice broke out into an echo in the space around them, almost feeling as if her efforts had been wasted.

"Calm down..." Aida gulped, motioning her hands in a soothing manor "me and my husband have decided that it's better if Hans married our youngest daughter, Anna".

Mona paused in thought and furrowed her perfectly-plucked and thin eyebrows, bringing a finger to her lips as she deepened her thinking. Mona seemed both surprised and disapointed both at the same time as she continued to revise through unspoken thoughts and plans, replacing and rearrnging around the now-empty holes in her mind.

"...A-are you ok?" Aida asked anxiously, peering round to meet Mona's golden gaze. The fair-skinned woman shook from her daze and replaced her bitter expression with that of a small and understanding smile. Good enough to fool any duke or Queen.

"Never better" Mona cooed, almost robotically. Aida frowned before shaking the recurring thoughts and doubts from her shoulders.

"So y-you don't mind, do you?" Aida quivered, still not believing how relaxed Mona seemed to be. Mona then let out a short but loud laugh before turning to face the Arendelle Queen once again.

"Not at all! Someone as playful as your Anna would be good for him..."

Aida cocked an eyebrow in the air and silently asked the question that was left behind after the brief conversattion before evaporated into the past.

"Oh well um... Hans has some... _issues_ that he is working out right now" Mona explained as delicately as she could as if she were treading upon cotton candy.

"...Like?"

"Like _isolating himself, concealing his feelings difficulties... _he's disaplined, sure butt he's just... just-"

"Its ok, I understand... no need to explain" Aida breathed raggedly. Her body was tensed and her eyes were glazed with fresh tears which didn't fall, perhaps filled with regret, regardless of whether she would want to admit it or not.

"I'm glad" Mona nodded before regally spinning on her heels and walking away, the cool atmosphere following behind her in sync and tracing her footprints as she stroleld ahead of Aida. She came to a sudden halt to observe over the city of Arendelle through a large and spotless window with an envious gaze.

"You really do have a lovely kingdom..." Mona commented quietly as she started to twirl and disappear behind the tall and grandly decorated walls of the castle, leaving behind a speechless Aida who really wasn't expecting positive attitude towards the whole entire matter of things, unfortunate events that seemed to have occurred.

* * *

><p>Hans had somehow fallen asleep, sprawled upon his bed and fully clothed as the dimness of the evening started to surround the large and peacfully hushed room. He was quietly awoken by the sound of Erik's voice disturbing and cutting into his bland nightmares and pulling him into reality.<p>

"Hans... wake up" Erik whispered, patting him gently on the shoulder. Hans said nothing and simply stayed frozen, hoping that Erik would soon leave him in in his realm of silence.

"...Hans, it's dinenr" Erik pestered.

"...Hans? Hans! Hans are you dead?!"

"No!" Hans snapped, quickly sitting up with his hair slightly feathery and messy.

He lazily wiped the sleep free from his eyes and turned to face Erik who looked slightly worried and concerned.

"What is it?" Hans grunted, glancing around at his surroundings.

"Dinner" Erik repeated.

Hans let out a small sigh, staring at Erik in annoyance as he got to his feet and padded towards the mirror.

"Do you wish to attend?" Erik asked, apraoching behind his younger brother.

"No, not really" Hans replied, glancing at his reflection as he started primping his face in the mirror.

"I reccomend you do or Mona will be on your case"

"Let her"

"Come on, Hans! This whole trip is about you and your future and you _need _to make an effort to take some interest and at least show up to dinner for-"

"Alrught! ... Alright, give me two minutes".

Erik nodded understandingly before exiting the room and leaving Hans to once again sigh on his recurring thoughts. He felt that same chill that welcomed him into Arendelle and caress his tired arms once more, he felt that strangely familiar ice energy embrace him, causing him to shiver slightly.

"Time to go I guess..."

* * *

><p>Hans seated himself at the large dining table, long and grand, listening to the small laughs and chatters of the royals before him, exchanging stories, experiences and basic chirps and chatters.<p>

Though Mona, Edwin, Aida, Erik and even Johan who lacked any sort of emotion besides disgust seemed to all get along together. It was all so perfect and nearly planned, it felt almost... _scripted_. The atmospher, that was. It felt as if each individual besides Anna, himself and possible Erik, had somehing to hide, The uncertain feeling restricted him from fully swallowing his food.

Anna who was sat quietly grinning, couldn't help but sneak glances towards Hans, shooting him small smiles of fascination regardless of how many times he shunned her away by frowning and rudely turning his face and peeling away from her restrictive gaze.

Despite he knew deep down that Anna was simply a young child in hope of some aknowledgement, perhaps a polite gesture of a returned smile, Hans just couldn't bring himself to open that door which was stopping him from facing any ray of sunshine for even longer than two seconds.

"Isn't that right, Hans?" The aggrivating tone of Mona's voice sliced through his thoughts as his pale green eyes met her evil tinge of amber in her brown orbs.

"Is _what _right?" Hans asked, blinking in confusement. Mona shook free of the cage of silence with yet another mind-curdling and ear-piercing laugh which made each being around the table flinch slightly.

"You see what I mean?!" She giggled as Hans started to catch onto the fact that Mona must have been informing the rest of the Arendelle family about his "_absent-mindedness" _or _"imagination"._

The worst part of the conversed words floating around the room were with no doubt the words that mostly involved or described _himself. _The way Mona would discuss _his _future without letting him chime a single word or request. Hans couldn't help chuckling quietly to himself as Mona mentioned him becoming King one day. It was inevitable that the first rule he's conjure (should the unlikely event occur) would be to have the witch _Mona_ executed and to be able to choose his _own_ wife, his own _future_.

After a minute of rethinking, the thought of killing _anyone, _even an evil step-mother like Mona left an uneasy and sticky kind of feeling of doubt in his throat, he couldn't help but feel the motivation run cold in his veins and hammer away uncontrolably in the back of his mind.

Hans stared down at the plate before him, each part of the meal slightly nibbled at but the sight of piled mounds of food caused his stomach to perform sidewards flips. It was crystal clear that after all his thinking, irritated and dark, he had lost his appatite.

"Excuse me..." Hans sighed, getting to his feet and politely dabbing his mouth with a napkin beside his plate. Mona raised her thin and dark eyebrows at him, waiting for somewhat of an explanation.

"I need to use the facilities" Hans lied, swiftly exiting the room himself before Mona disagreed and attempted to pull him back to his seat to fulfill her expectations, of course. Hans felt one pair of eyes study his movements from behind and he glanced over his shoulder to reveal Anna's big innocent eyes, silently asking the question even _he_ didn't know the answer to.

_Where are you going?_

* * *

><p>Hans had managed to casually and quietly stride through the halls until finally aproaching a peaceful and relaxed place to happily seat himself and run through and with his thoughts before releasing them into the harsh wild of reality where he could narrow them to one and judge it from there. If that made any logical sense.<p>

He placed himself upon the main fountain's ledge, inhaling and exhaling along with the soft and twinkling tune of the trickling water, gently hitting yet more of it's own element like raindrops.

The doors which gaveaway into the front entrance of the palace were wide open, letting the bright abundance of candlelight in the halls pool upon the fountain and Prince Hans who made no sound as he gazed up into the nightsky, his mind otherwise occupied with memories of his mother. His real mother who he liked to think lay in the sky, upon the silvery stars, surrounded by orbs of electric energy, watching down upon him with her kind green eyes. Hans often thought of his mother when the night was as clear as revealed right now before his eyes. Sometimes, it felt as if she were the only one who cared for him when his brothers wouldn't, she loved him and Mona took that away along with his father... His father who lay restless in his bed in the Southern Isles, squirming in pain, in illness, perhaps not even moving for he was so tired out, so worn in.

A few discreet murmurs broke into Hans' remenicent session and the you boy quickly turned his sight to face the cause of his interuption to see two figures in the exposed hallway whispering to one another, displaying sounds of hesitation, then agreement.

Hans noticed the man poking out from the doorway of the main dining hall from which he had just excused himself to be King Edwin. The other small man, hastily recieving orders from Edwin Hans recognised as the butler who had acquainted himself to the Arendelle family just that morning. He belived that the butler went by the name of Kai. Both the two men were completely zoned out and oblivious to the auburn-haired and watchful Prince, silently perched at the fountain and keeping a close, sharp eye on each of the men.

After a few moments of watching them, Edwin quickly disappeared behind the doors that he was keeping a nervous grip on throughout the entire time Kai and himself spoke and Kai stiffled a small, sarcastic laugh before stomping in an orderly fashion towards the grand staircase, talking to himself. Hans finally realised that Kai was regally balancing a covered silver tray of food upon him palm.

"I knew I should have taken the job in Corona" Kai grumbled to himself, unaware of Hans sneaking behind him and snaking arounf his footprints, ocasionally finding himself having to skwat behind statues and large plant pots or tables on the off chance that Kai would actually take a minute to zip his lips shut and peer behind him.

"Stupid secrets... I hate 'em" Kai continued, causing Hans to swallow at his expense, his heart pounding in case he got caught following the butler to wherever this s_ecret _may be. The fact that he was following a secret, made the whole idea of him stalking the man propesterous but... curiosity always had the last word in these situations.

Hans knew that he should turn back to the dining room and resume his life of lies and arranged futures but something intrigued him to pledge forward, something he had no control over. Already, they were up the staircase, wandering the turns and bends of the royal chanbers.

Kai stopped without warning outside one of the doors and roated sideways. For a split second, Hans felt his heart freeze and his elbows go numb, obviously highly cconcerned that Kai was about to whitness Hans following him all this way like a shadow. But to his own luck, Kai simply placed four knocks onto the door he now faced. Hans jumped behind a plant pot that was thankfully beside him and watched intently through the leaves.

"Your grace... dinner" Kai adressed the royal behind the door formally, tapping his nails against the metal that covered the tray he balanced.

"L-leave it outside" a muffled voice sounded.

Hans peered suspiciously from behind the tall and wide green plant he crouched behind, frowning upon what he saw and trying desperately to wrack his brain and make sense of it all.

"As you wish" Kai responded, setting the tray down outside the door. Hans held his breath and pushed himself as much as he could against the wall and plant pot to avoid the lazy eyes of Kai who was otherwise distracted with his own doubts.

Hans breathed out a sigh of relief as Kai gradually disappeared down the staircase, leaving light, quiet and empty halls for Hans to start his own investigation of what had just happened.

Though it seemed he wasn't the only one waiting for a clear coast or the sound of indulging silence to pace through. As he stood, still and obscurred still by the plant pot, the door Kai had been communicating through opened, causing Hans to spin back down to his knees, panting and once again watching like a hawk.

It was all too fast that all Hans saw was two gloved hands quickly reaching out for the tray of food and a whoosh of platinum blonde hair but he saw enough to know that this _girl_ would become someone very important, very important indeed.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Hey, I apologise to everyone who reads any of my stories for the 3 days I've been off. My internet has been acting up and I can't guarantee that it will stay running smoothly :/ So yeah, the only reason I'm getting these chapters out so fast is because I've written the full story in hand, all I have to do is copy it out on the laptop though I need to take a week or so break to catch up with my other stories.**

**Never the less, thank you for everyone's lovely reviews, keep them up! I promise Helsa soon, but they're still kids right now, it would be a little creepy for them to be making out xD So yeah, Hans talks to Elsa next chapter and then they become friends, things will take a good turn... over the period of a couple of chapters :) See you next time! x**

**~MaliJo x **


	4. Noises In the Night

_Previously:_

_Feeling out of sorts in the Arendelle family with everyone watching him, expecting things he can't give, Hans escapes the dinner and sits outside at the fountain for some fresh air. After reminiscing on his deceased mother, he notices Kai taking up food to the royal chambers after orders from King Edwin and Hans follows him only to find they've been hiding a secret._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Noises In the Night

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><p>As Hans lay in his bed that night, hopelessly attempting to block out the bellows of Erik's ground-shaking and ear-tumbling snoring, he just couldn't stop thinking about that girl. The girl who hid behind the door and was so quick and eager to remain unseen. But why?<p>

He grunted, his temples starting to swirl beneath his skin with soreness as he strained his mind for logical explanations before he shuffled onto his side to face the wall, his back turned to his heavy-sleeper of a brother. An aggravating headache started to follow with his soreness and takeover his overworked mind as his body continued to tingle with urging curiosity.

_Who was she?_

A transparent and almost empty thought quickly crossed his mind that perhaps, just maybe the girl was Princess Elsa. It seemed silly to think that the girl he would in time marry would hide away on his arrival and first meeting without good reason and it appeared to Hans that she was in perfect health. He could judge that theory with only the one-second evidence he collected as he first laid eyes on her. Though it may have sounded strange aloud, it sounded perfectly plausible in his mind as he mentally scanned through the recurring thoughts for any signs of errors.

After all, he had only today been acquainted to King Edwin, Queen Aida, Princess Anna and even Kai the butler. Everyone _but _her. Now why wouldn't Elsa be the first one he introduced himself to, the center of all attention? Why on Earth not, when she would soon end up with a crown on her head, a ring on her finger, a Kingdom before her and Hans by her side? Or so he was told. But what Hans didn't know was yet to spill like milk.

Enough thinking and blabbering, enough _said._ Being a Prince, youngest of thirteen sons, a marriage prepared like a meal, a sick father at home and an actual evil step-mother keeping her beady eyes on him was _hard_. Simple as. But that was the only thing he must have missed on the 'small print'. It was _not _simple, it was all anything _but _simple.

Even after all this thinking and lying in bed in his nightwear with darkness surrounding him, he didn't feel remotely tired. Judging by the silence around the castle and the pitch black tint in the sky outside, Hans estimated that it was well past midnight. Besides the palace guards on the ground floor and a few maids wrapping up their chores for the night, everyone was sound asleep. So in that case, why did he feel like he wasn't the only person on this floor who would be staring up at the ceiling, possibly the night sky in hope, regardless of the reason.

Hans let out an exasperated sigh before rotating back around to face the dim and shadowed but closed eyes of Erik who had fortunately been able to get some kip easily. For the first time recorded in history, Hans felt envious of Erik.

His eyes had been wide open for hours, so long that he could just about make sense of the details upon the furniture around him and his eyes bounced from one item to the next before finally settling upon the closed door.

Deciding he had had enough of tossing and turning on the sheets, racing through doubts in his mind and flinching slightly at each snore Erik let roll ungracefully from his tongue, Hans got to his bare feet and ran his fingers through his slightly damp and messy auburn fringe. If he was correct in his thoughts, the guest chambers in Arendelle would be identical to those back in the Southern Isles and have a handy source of light in the bedside drawer.

To his rare appearance of luck, he immediately pulled open the draw to find a candle holder and a small box of matches before scooping them into his palms without further hesitation. He reached deeper into the draw again to retrieve a fresh candle before slotting it into the brass holder and lighting it with help of a stricken match. The amount of time he had practiced this procedure back at home, lighting a candle at early hours of the morning and go wandering about the castle, for answers he unconsciously knew he'd never find was almost unreal yet with all the familiar activity, it became only a natural thing to do at night, despite he was far from his grounds.

Almost instantly, the room filled to the ceiling with a soft amber glow which exaggerated each shadow that decorated the plain cream walls and danced across the wooden planks of flooring. Hans breathed a content sigh as he flexed his back slightly, happy to be out of the unfamiliar bed and simply to stretch in the new warm light.

Carefully, Hans tiptoed towards the closed door and opened it quietly, hoping to keep Erik's nosiness out of his own troubles before he slipped through the gap he'd created and exhaled a sigh of relief from in the hallway, against the once again closed door.

As he slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the new spacious atmosphere, reality hit him almost like a harsh sword. He really was alone and the small amount of candle light he possessed wasn't revealing to him anything beyond couple of yards. Not anything or _anyone _who could be lurking beyond the far and dark creases of the halls.

Suddenly, he felt alone and almost consumed by the darkness and silence surrounding him and not the happy and content feeling he received when his brothers would leave him alone for the afternoon but the loneliness you would feel if you were lost in the deep and dark woods with no one by your side as a guidance.

Though he wasn't scared per say, just cautious. He felt as if he was being watched. The feeling was understandable too. What should one feel at this time of night when they are miles away from home and supposedly the only one awake in such a large and unnecessary castle? Hans couldn't lie to himself because though it pained him ruthlessly to admit it, he was actually quite reassured to say the least to have Erik in his room, whether he was a loud, obnoxious sleeper, or not.

Whilst Hans padded across the cold floor of the halls, he repeatedly told himself that he was only heading to the staircase for a glass of water, perhaps a breath of fresh air by the same fountain to clear his disturbing thoughts, clean and cleanse his mind that felt much too overworked for one day and night at least. Though that was what he _wanted _to think, he passed by the staircase and head in the direction of the main royal chambers. He just had to find out who that girl was and why she had her food brought up to her and closed the door so quickly. Hans didn't even care how fictitious it sounded or how inappropriate the time was he once again just _had _to follow the path he'd unravelled to himself.

Hans wasn't even aware of why he was bothered about this girl in the first place. Should it even matter to him whether she was Princess Elsa or not? More importantly, what was driving him to take more steps closer to where he hid with a watchful gaze that evening, he felt as if he couldn't control his own movements. Each step he took towards the chambers confused him beyond belief. It were as if a tight and unbreakable string was eternally wrapped around his pinky finger, tugging at him and reeling him in like a small, helpless fish as he neared that cold and welcoming chill.

He shook his head vigorously, attempting to free himself of his thoughts and questions that he kept on asking himself over and over...

_and over and over and over and-_

"Argh!" Hans grit his teeth together at the pressure of unspoken words closing in on him and clamping his mind tightly shut. The candle shakily tumbled from his hand with a slight clatter on the floor, losing it's flame as Hans groaned, finding that he was now bent before the door he had almost seemingly been dragged towards by some great force.

The crash of the metal against the wooden floorboards rattled under the door and before he knew it, a muffled and trembling voice sounded from inside the room he stood outside of.

"Anna, is that you?" She spoke. Hans stayed silent with his teeth quietly grazing his tongue. His heart froze in mid-beat as he heard her once again, matching those white gloves and striking blonde hair with this voice he was hearing now. She sounded painfully upset and slightly scared as if she had only just recovered from a session of heavy whimpers and tears.

The girl proceeded to talk after a minute of no answer and pure silence though she knew someone was outside the door… waiting, listening as she heard the bang of the clash on the floor. Hans was physically lost for words, he had no idea how to respond. He felt as if his words had been physically stolen from his mouth and he had no idea why. It was almost like an enchantment was cast upon him.

"Anna if it's you then please just go away, it's too late and-"

"It's not Anna" Hans broke in, feeling her voice a small bead of light in the darkness around him now his candle had long gone extinguished, leaving a burnt and murky smell behind.

The girl behind the door stayed completely silent and Hans thickly swallowed. It was _his _turn to talk, no doubt that the girl was scared in this stranger's presence, a boy she had never met in her life was casually stood outside her room, all conclusions could be invading her mind.

_A spy? A pervert?_

And he needed to set it smooth and straight. Though he was never an expert when it came to these things.

Hans discreetly cleared his throat, this was such an unexpected and strange event to be apart of at such a time yet it felt awkwardly right.

"Are you P-princess Elsa?" He stammered, mentally scolding himself for stuttering. He pressed his fingers and ear against the door, anticipating her answer. She sounded slightly younger than himself, as expected. So that was a win on his guess at least.

"I…" she squeaked and there was a long pause. Hans heard her slowly back away from the door and her voice fade into a small whisper which worried him that perhaps he was scaring her and with no surprise or grudge against her, he scared himself sometimes too. Though he didn't realise she was more scared of herself than him. He heard her speak once again, this time with more panic lining her voice than anything else.

"S-stay away, I'm-" she was instantly cut off once more by the small smile Hans adopted onto his features.

"Elsa" he breathed.

"Yes?" She answered, taking her name as the start of a question and not really realising what he was attempting.

Hans silenced himself for good after that and slowly exhaled, hooking his fingers around the fallen candle.

"Who are you?" She shivered. Hans remained completely quiet, not really knowing what to think of all this, talking to her… being here in secret, exposed to someone possibly finding him, breaking off the marriage perhaps and sending him back home which my be a blessing in disguise but he was starting to feel quite comfortable now, knowing something that had been playing on his mind ever since he got here. _Elsa _his future wife… he wondered if she knew about him all he was told about _her_… _Graceful, devoted, kind with complementing blue eyes and fair skin._

Was she even aware he existed? His looks, his isolation, his 'absent mindedness'? Hans breathed slowly in thought against the door, sat with his legs stretched out before him with his palms layered upon the wood. He wanted to ask Elsa about her life and why she hid yesterday but he remembered that unfortunately, the King and Queen slept not far from his current whereabouts and it would be a very difficult, if not _impossible _of atask to explain what he was doing without seeming all that Mona feared he was as a person.

Instead, he breathed against the door, whispering slightly. _"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles" _before he started to stroll away, back towards his own room, leaving Elsa in a small state of confusement.

Hans paced down the halls quickly, wanting to escape the dark that encircled him, blocking his sight almost completely had it not been handy of the moon and starlight to accompany him. As he neared his door, he almost felt someone pass him, footsteps disappear behind him.

_Now I really must be going mad _he thought quietly to himself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Elsa's POV <strong>_

I found myself tonight leant against the door and clutching my knees, glaring intently at the silver night outside my window, casting rays of pearly light across my floor. The sky was with no doubt awake and I reached my hand up, frosting the windows to block out the memories and the longing pang I felt erupt in my heart as I thought of Anna, riding with her to the trolls, feeling the first of this anxiety pulsate inside me. We all thought she would die and though I was thrilled beyond words that she was alive, I hated having to lie to her and hide from her, my own sister.

I felt a hot tear trickle down one of my flustered cheeks and I was about ready to let them all spill out again until I heard a loud clash disrupt me outside my door. My heart raced as I snuffled slightly and jumped to my feet, wiping away the falling tear and the trail it had left behind.

After a moment of silence, I weakly called out.

"Anna, is that you?!" I called out, trying to calm my quivering voice only to feel slightly annoyed when I got no reply, starting to suspect that perhaps I was hearing things. Perhaps my yearn for my sister caused me to keep on calling out.

"Anna, if it's you then please just… go away, it's too late and-"

Suddenly another voice cut in and the voice to my horror belonged to a _boy… _not Anna.

"It's not Anna" he stated the obvious. I was too stunned for thoughts, I wanted to shun this stranger away yet why did I feel so comforted with another voice by my side. A new voice at that too. It had me suspecting that this voice belonged to one of the boys who arrived at the palace from the Southern Isles the afternoon before, I watched excitedly from my window with a soft smile until frost crept up from my fingertips, blocking the view I had happily set my eyes on.

"Are you P-princess Elsa?" He asked me and I perked up as I heard my name stuttering from his mouth.

_So he _was _looking for me… _

I opened my mouth to speak, grimacing as what I wanted to say escaped from mind.

"I…" Glancing around me, ice started to foolishly crawl up my doorframe and puddle beneath my feet. With great shock and my heart pumping faster than a young stallion, I quickly backed away towards my windowsill, fumbling around the ledge for the white gloves my father had presented to me earlier that day. Panicking, I warned him as I struggled to slip on the confined material.

"S-stay away I'm-"

"Elsa" He repeated. I dropped the gloves just as my hands were in the right position. Ice left the walls like a distant memory. The way he broke in through my sentence again, the way he almost whispered my name… The fear disappeared, was chased away. Just for a split second.

I heard him slowly shuffle around with the fallen object that had stirred me into a trance in the first place. With my curiosity growing, I licked my lips and opened my mouth to speak, to question this boy.

"Who are you?" I questioned though the tone in my voice became cracked and wobbly as I spoke, leaning against the far wall and daring to take a step forward.

After a while he simply whispered to me a few words I didn't quite hear within the distance between us and the closed door muffling the sounds I heard though faintly I recognised his sentence. _Prince Hans…_

_So he's a Prince? _I thought to myself, feeling slightly reassured that he _was _one of the boys I had seen earlier.

I heard nothing after that besides him walking away, I was almost sad he was leaving and as if instinct was pulling me, I rushed to the door and opened it yet all I saw was darkness and hushed footsteps in the distance, peering after his moving shadow. I almost felt my heart wilt again, they always left me. I don't know what I was getting all upset about. But I guess it was nice to share a fresh conversation without telling them to go away or mentioning my powers…

Suddenly, the footsteps got closer and I graced myself with a faint smile, perhaps he was coming back? My eyes widened in horror as Anna emerged from the darkness, her hands clasped together and her eyes bright with excitement as she saw me smile, probably feeling I was happy to see her and with no doubt, I was _ecstatic _to see her but…

I glanced down at my hands, realising I had left my gloves on the floor by the window. I felt the cold rush to my fingertips and quickly slammed the door closed in fear. I desperately wanted to confront her and… and… I don't know.

Ice surrounded me again and I heard her simply say… "I just forgot to say goodnight" and with that, she scuttled away and I felt my eyes well up with tears, I didn't want to shut her out but… What dangers would occur if I let her in? It wasn't worth thinking about as I made my way to my bed, thinking of Anna… of Hans.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! That was actually the first POV I've written on this sight, I use to always write as first person, so it was quite different to return to that. Though there wont be many POVs in this story.**

**First of all, thank you everyone who reads this and follows etc... it really means a lot to me, and I love to hear what you think of the story so please leave your reviews :) Secondly, it came to my attention (curtosy of one reviewer) that Elsa and Anna's mother and father are called Adgar and Idun. When I first started writing this (on paper) they were unnamed so I gave them different Norwegian names. I don't think I'm going to change them to Adgar and Idun to avoid confusing people, but it's not a big deal right? I mean they die anyway xD**

**Lastly, I listen to songs to gain inspiration, the song that inspired this story is 'You Found' Me by 'The Fray' so take a listen to the lyrics of that when you have time :D Have a great day everyone! ^O^**

**~MaliJo x**


	5. Watchful Eyes

_Previously:_

_Hans gets up in the night literally following his heart and he talks to Elsa through her door._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Watchful Eyes

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><p>Erik cut in through the peaceful silence, perhaps finding it awkward which was the polar opposite of what Hans felt in silence. A cool, soothing atmosphere, the only sounds being the soft breeze whistling in his ear or the delightful chirping of birds singing in the distance. Hans often forgot that people felt uncomfortable in that environment and the people often forgot that Hans became uncomfortable at the sound of voices, human voices to be exact. Erik just had to bend the rules of his nature that everyone was fully aware of.<p>

"So… what have you planned for today then? Anything special?" Erik queried, his hands clutching onto the ledge of the stone fountain where Hans had sat the night before, obscuring himself into the night as he listened in on King Edwin and Kai, he almost wished he didn't but at the same time, he was quite glad.

"Nope, not much" Hans finally replied, his voice flat and unamused as he stared bleakly into the open sky.

The soft blue and yellow morning spilled upon Arendelle perfectly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to block out the bright rays of sunlight. But like usual, Hans was rather distracted and not by the many _normal _aspects of life that distracted him painfully such as the haunting events of his mother's death, his brother's tedious tricks or Mona's strict and tiresome rules. No, today none other than _Elsa _was plastered across his mind.

He reached up to his temples and started to vigorously massage them with the pads of his fingers, keeping his eyes closed in hope to slowly release the stress, the pain of being Prince Hans. Of course, that was when Erik would begin to blabber again.

"Hans, how about we go horseback riding? It's a lovely day…" Erik suggested, softly kicking his heels against the stone base of the fountain. Hans frowned at his slightly older brother, he suddenly felt like a Princess being wooed by the twelfth Prince of the Southern Isles. God was that phrase getting on his nerves, hearing it thirteen to thirty times a day. _Of the Southern Isles._

"I can't" Hans replied after much dismissal of thoughts. Erik furrowed his brows. He, like his many other brothers, didn't pay much close attention to Hans and his hobbies and interests (clearly). So whether Hans was even able to ride a horse, was debateable. Erik spied down Hans' limp figure and decided, he wasn't much of a horseback rider.

"Sightseeing?" Erik said, glancing around them, though there wasn't much beside a few fountains and riverbanks in sight. Once again, he got no reply, so decided to try his luck at other activities.

"We could go err… swimming, or maybe-"

"No" Hans interjected. "I can't, Mona wants me in the castle all day". It was blatantly obvious to both Hans and Erik that a day in the castle under Mona's watchful eyes and good for nothing rules would be a pain in royal arse and then some.

Hans lazily dipped his pinky finger into the cold and trickling water, swirling ripples across the skin of the water which sent refreshing chills through his arms, cooling down the effect of the blazing heat above him. The position drove Hans into another thought session and Erik eyed him sheepishly, one dark eyebrow cocked into the air.

"Are you okay?" Erik questioned, tilting his head slightly to the side. Hans nearly laughed mockingly at the concerned tone in Erik's voice, as if he actually cared about his little fuck up brother. No, he cared about Mona, like all of them… following helplessly like lost sheep, Hans saw the truth. The thought pushed him into a trance of lies, past memories, and Erik bowing politely at the wench. Hans angrily clutched his fingers inwards to form a tempting fist. The sounds of the water splashing suddenly and Hans' face glowing a pale shade of burgundy caused Erik to jump slightly, sighing into the space around them.

As if by instinct, Hans scanned across the tall walls of the castle, his eyes falling upon each large window before guiding his eyesight to reach slightly smaller panes of glass on a high floor. He felt a pair of eyes observe him, tickle his senses, directing him to a quick flicker of beady cerulean eyes and a streak of blonde hair following shortly after like a wave. His fists loosened into calm and soft hands and his face weakened to that of a very faint, almost invisible smile.

"I think you're going mad" Erik finally spoke up, feeling the time and smile a safe sign to say what he pleased. Hans turned to face his brother with his head lifted to somewhat understanding.

"Erik, I _am _mad" Hans corrected before lifting himself to his feet and swivelling his heels to face the direction of the castle doors.

"Where are you going?!" Erik called out.

"To see what Mona wants, then maybe she'll get off my case and leave me alone!" Hans replied.

He continued to stroll effortlessly into the palace, trying desperately to avoid the image of Elsa in the window a moment ago who he believed he must have cast himself. _A side effect of being mad. _Because after all his imagining and overload of curiosity, it must be so.

"So what do you want?" Hans asked tiresomely, straightening out his cream jacket sleeves as Mona stood before him in an emerald green renaissance dress.

"Stand straight" Mona hissed, glancing around in case further company would occur. Hans shook his head in annoyance and shot Mona a piercing gaze, so sharp that it could cut through envy, his lips pursed tightly together. Mona poised herself slightly before proceeding to speak.

"I want you to spend some time with the Princess of course" Mona chuckled, waving her fingers in the air in front of him. His heart stopped and his ears perked up. Was it that time already? Would he finally match the voice he talked to last night with the face he wanted to see so desperately.

"P-princess Elsa?" Hans stammered.

Unfortunately, the question earnt an opposite reaction to the one he hoped for. Mona's face guzzled a small amount pale and her frown became a mark of confusement, rather than her usual scowls and disappointment. After a few seconds of intense silence and staring, she started hysterically laughing yet Hans could detect the nervous instability in her tone.

"You are funny, Hans. I'll give you that!" She chortled, placing a perfectly-manicured hand on one of his broad shoulders, steering him clear from the open doors where Erik was watching dubiously from the fountain outside.

"How is it _funny_?" Hans asked, slightly agitated at her mockery of laughter. The middle-aged Queen pushed him forward more forcefully round the corner, taking the route Hans had with his accompanying brothers, young Anna and King Edwin when the man showed the Westerguards around the palace, he definitely pulled the group though this hallway.

"You're spending time with Princess Anna. I don't know how you got a crazy idea like Elsa" she sighed. Hans aggressively shrugged away from her and jumped before he too stopped the walking.

"I'm _engaged _to Elsa" Hans stated with arched eyebrows. This time Mona didn't laugh. As a substitute, she returned the glare five times harder.

"You're _mistaken_".

She wrapped her bony fingers tightly across the small of his wrist and started to drag him down the hall, fighting against his constant tugging and struggling. Once he finally broke free of her clutch, he stood back, fully ready to turn around and run away. He pined for medicine or some kind of pain-killer which was rare and rather unhelpful in those days. But he'd do absolutely anything pointless should it relieve him of his headache, his never-ending confusement.

"I will tell you later, if you follow me now" she promised, her lips angular as she spoke. Hans bit his top lip as she turned around, her skirt flowing along with her. He hesitantly took a step forward after she ushered him towards her and after a few more uneasy steps and exasperated sighs, Hans found himself outside the art gallery consisting of romantic portraits.

"Have fun" Mona nodded, a faint smile implanted on her deep red lips. She scuttled down the hall, stealing a glance towards the young Prince who stared at her intimidatingly until she disappeared around a corner.

_Finally, time to leave. _Hans thought, walking down the opposite way slowly. If Mona thought he'd be playing chase or whatever with a six year old, then she had something else coming. Of course after a few steps forward, something blocked his way. Not an object of any kind physically become a hurdle before him but instead, an echoed laugh from the gallery that caught his attention once it finally reached his ears. He couldn't help but trace back a few strides and peek through the small gap in the door where he saw Anna prancing around with two dolls, falling over her own two feet as she sprung into the air and twirled on the freshly waxed wooden floor.

After landing onto her backside, she caught the pale green gaze of Hans and grinned childishly, inviting him in with eager hand gestures.

_Oh great… just fantastic _Hans thought sarcastically, sheepishly opening the long narrow white door and entering the scene wearily. Anna flashed another grin at him, not knowing how damn right scared and annoyed the Prince was to being cornered into something he already despised. Not Anna of course, but this whole muddled situation which obviously, he himself would have to find the answers to.

Hans suddenly tensed as he broke into the warm and joyful atmosphere and light energy of the room, all emanating from that single teal-eyed Princess. Thus fourth leaving behind that comforting realm of cold, accepting the well-deserved chills that would stretch across his spine like expanding ice. There was a moment of silence.

"Hi" Anna intervened brightly. Hans blinked, awkwardly smiling… he wasn't one to work well with young children.

"Um… hello" Hans swallowed before glancing down to the two dolls Anna had left sprawled across the shining marble floor. One of the dolls with orange raggedy hair and a green dress obviously representing Anna before him and the other giving him a protuberant impression of none other than the incomparable hermit herself, Elsa.

_So… I'm playing with dolls? _Hans sighed in his mind mockingly. And as if Anna had read his mind, she fell purposely backwards onto the floor, reaching for the two blue and green dolls to make some room for Hans to seat himself closely opposite her.

He cleared his throat, blinking hopefully at the doorway and feeling absolutely (if not completely) powerless as Anna stared at him with that same infatuation that possessed her eyes each time they settled onto him for a strange and awkward moment.

When he first met her, he thought it may be possible that all the constant staring, smiling and giggling was a young girl's crush but the thought passed quickly once he realised that the look she gave him was that of a younger sibling's way of gathering clues and inspiration for the world. He knew that stare, it used to be his, before his mother died and his brothers became power mad.

Though he felt the least to say _humiliated _playing with dolls and allowing the small and extremely rare chuckle to escape his lips, it felt… good and refreshing to feel like the older brother for once and almost unreal to be considered a friend to _anyone _at that matter and with those feelings encircling him like warm fireflies on a summer's evening, his stern features softened and he felt just the slightest but less degraded.

Hans shifted into a position on his knees and clasped his hands into his lap, staring at Anna expectantly. The younger redhead lay on her stomach and rested her chin into her open palms as she kicked her feet slowly back and forth in the air. Again, she smiled up at him with those sea-green eyes.

"Why are there hairy slugs on the side of your face?" Anna asked, breaking through the silence, curiosity lacing her tone. Hans frowned, skimming his fingertips across his face before chuckling as they brushed past his very small but fastly-growing sideburns.

"They're called _sideburns_" Hans informed her, not the slightest bit aggravated at her naive comment.

Since they were on the topic of hair, Hans decided to break the ice with another question related, of course.

"What's with your white highlight?" He queried, pointing to the distinctive streak of white in her hair that stood out most in her adorable, granted but warmly bland features.

"Oh… I'm not quite sure" Anna admitted, deciding it was another thing she'd ask her parents about that night along with many other questions that young children come up with such as _"Why is the sky blue, do we live forever, where do babies come from?"._

"What do you mean?" Hans questioned.

"Well… you wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Anna bit her lower lip.

"Sure I would, just-"

"I was kissed by a troll!" She spluttered into a fit of giggles yet her eyes were glazed over with seriousness and Hans was genuinely in conflict with himself, debating whether he should believe Anna, or not.

"Okay…" Hans awkwardly spoke, just casually smiling and agreeing with the absurdness. Anna quickly threw one of the dolls into his lap, causing him to jump slightly, the two already leaving the topic of trolls and hair.

"You don't mind playing with them, do you?" Anna almost pleaded with a hard-to-resist smile and eyes watering wider than saucers. Hans furrowed his brows and sighed deeply before turning the doll round on his bent legs to face properly.

"I suppose I-" his words became caught in his throat as he noticed that the doll Anna had chucked to him was a cute wool and cotton mimic of Elsa, accurate enough for him to identify that single knitted face.

He hadn't realised how intently he'd been staring down at the toy until Anna shyly spoke, pulling him out of his daze and back into reality.

"I saw you… last night" she whispered softly, the sentence dimming down to a whisper as she finished.

She watched in awe as Hans' eyes widened and he shook her words off with an unamused and nervous chortle. "Sure, sure, kid, I-"

"I saw you" she repeated slightly louder, her eyes glittering with impatience for the truth. "At my sister's door, I saw you".

Hans felt like a freshly caught fish, not long being reeled out into the harsh open air, into his danger zone. He was stuck on what to say next. I mean, what _do _you say when you are approached with this kind of baffling statement or _report _as it felt.

"I… er…" Hans paused, fumbling with thoughts in his mind and tapping his chin lightly. He could lie… after all, he was good at lying about his feeling but lying about Elsa… that was a touchy subject, a fragile case to be dealt with gently. Though was he in trouble?

"What were you doing there?" Anna asked with a small and curious grin, tilting her head acutely. Once again, Hans didn't know what to think, or say. His mind on the other hand felt _obtuse _and cluttered with crap he didn't want to deal with, everything out of proportion one may say as he recalled the events of the previous night… Waking up at an ungodly hour with a strange feeling and peculiar urge to seek out his _future wife _for the very first time in forever, to hear her speak.

He had never experienced love before. Heck, he wasn't even an official teenager but he had seen it, he had seen it in his mother's eyes, he felt it in her nurturing touch and he knew that love was the reason she took her life… So for that factor, he saw the whole subject of love appear as a _lemon_. Quite bitty, very sour and also, something he really wasn't fond of.

Anna had been reading the young Prince's expressions from the start, gleefully smiling with him and tilting her head with a frown as his past caught up with him and interfered with the present once again, no change there. Wow, how he missed his mother…

"I-I have to go" Hans spoke deeply and darkly, his expression now motionless or _emotion_less and unreadable as his short fringe shadowed his tired and musky eyes. Those eyes that had seen things a child shouldn't see, that had witnessed events he wished never happened and he pledged blame from one brother to the next like a row of dominos yet it always came down to _her. Always_, it ended with Mona.

"W-where are you going?" Anna wobbled, jumping to her feet as Hans did, her fingers intertwining amongst themselves as she watched Hans' smile subside and his face remain blank and murky. He gently handed Anna the Elsa Doll and she clutched it tightly against her chest. He smiled very vaguely at her.

_You just don't understand until it's happened to you… Until you've lost a parent, your world will be full of happiness, I know it will. _

Hans had no idea how long he'd been sat in that gallery with the little Princess Anna, babbling away with nonsense stories and revealing to him her favourite pictures on the wall. Hans also found out that she broke into song quite often, pushing and urging him on to duet or harmonise with her yet his stubbornness proved the dominant lion in this situation, no matter how many times she pleaded and reassured him that they would sing a duet together and it would sound _"totally awesome" _but each time, Hans waved away the persuasion and temptation, replacing it with a blunt and simple _"no"_.

Now, Hans was faced with her eager question and once again, he didn't know what to say and, he didn't even know where he was going either.

_No surprise there…_

Furthermore, he had his _own _questions for Anna such as, why was she following him last night in the first place? Hmm… Perhaps she was out of her bed with the same intentions as himself but he wasn't mentally prepared to start asking her and himself the questions he longed to know the answers to because God knows he had too many of them haunting him like ghosts but then again, he didn't believe in ghosts. Or God, there was too many bad things happening in the world to bow down to a higher being and thank him.

So eventually, Hans answered with a simple "I'll… see you later" before he took one more glance at the doll wrapped in blue ribbon and then Anna's eyes, glistening with hope once again. He gave her one smile, which she happily returned though still gazing up at him with large glassy and pleading orbs, yet still with that tint of awe and wonder, the way you would look up to your older brother. Well… in a perfect world anyway. Considering, Hans wasn't the slightest bit endeared towards _his _brothers anymore.

Surprisingly, Anna didn't protest this time against him walking away which both made him happy and resentful at the same time for some reason. She playfully waved to him before returning to her game of dancing gayly with her dolls and giggling madly.

Hans raised his eyebrows for a short, undermining second before shifting himself into the halls again. And now, he was clueless once again on where to go, what to do next. This wasn't home after all. Though he truly wanted to go home, but he was fully aware _that _wouldn't occur anytime soon.

Unfortunately, both Mona and Erik caught the corner of his eye, still perched atop the fountain's ledge, gossiping among the other murmurs of the small city of Arendelle. Their faces flickered on like a bright candle as they acknowledged Hans stood across the way.

"How was it?!" Mona asked hastily, galloping lightly towards him and Erik trailing not far behind _like a_ _lost sheep_.

"It was fine… We played with dolls" Hans sighed before Erik let out a hidden snigger. Hans grimaced more at the resemblance between both Erik and Mona rather than Erik's foolishness.

"Lovely, lovely, what do you think of her then?!" Mona yelped, not really listening to Hans's bland complaints. He took a minute to stand back and observe his feelings towards Anna because he did indeed feel _something_. It wasn't whatever Mona was getting worked up for though. It was the kind of warm feeling you receive from a woman you love who is your sister, or you mother, or your best friend who grows up with you as a tomboy, your brother for life.

But Elsa… that was a different pull of feels, an unexplainable one at that too.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Your longest chapter yet ;) Thanks for all your support guys, I really mean it and sorry the chapters are slow... I'm kinda caught up in my own romance right now too. Hehe.**

**So yeah, sorry if this chapter was a bit slow. We get a little more on Elsa and her parents next chapter and we're close to getting Hans and Elsa to finally meet too. Hey, I've started a new Helsa/Hanna story called _Teacher's Pet _if you're interested. And I just finished reading _The Fault In Our Stars_... I cry, I cry D':**

**Leave a review and tell me what you think! See you next time :D**

**~MaliJo x**


	6. Heading Uphill

**Chapter Six**

Heading Uphill

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><p>"I'm sorry" Elsa inhaled as she trembled, her small gloved hands clutching her own sides.<p>

"No" Aida said softly, her eyes full of regret from the last words spoken to her scared and confused daughter. The _Queen _felt like a monster for raising her voice so harshly to a child who much like herself, did not understand the inputs and outputs of these strange but fascinating powers. "_I'm_ sorry".

Elsa gasped slightly as her mother neared her with outstretched arms and open wide-awake eyes, slowly striding forward in a confident and natural manner before pulling Elsa into a protective and nurturing embrace.

Elsa stood frozen still, her hands in shaky fists beside her own head, raised and absolutely terrified. Not of Aida of course, but of herself. She feared so much of so little and she would constantly make a meal out of a snack. Things were big and scary when they were sought out to be small and minor.

"Mama, I might hurt-"

"Shh, you won't" Aida cut in, knowing all too well what Elsa would surely stammer in tears.

Elsa didn't know what to think. She pulled her hands close to her body and away as far as space could take her from Aida in terror as her lip quivered and sparkling tears washed around her bright but sad blue eyes.

All whilst Aida remained completely calm, holding her shaking child closely and soothing her hand through the soft blonde hair whilst she sang in whispers very gently a lullaby passed from generation to generation in the history of the Arendelle family.

And that's when Elsa broke into tears, letting each one gush through the corner of her large eyes freely as she gingerly ribboned her arms around the Queen's neck. The way she had so many times, each day. Before Anna's accident.

"_Winter is bitter and cold..._

_The pain is so fresh yet so old..._

_But love will always heal your heart..._

_And love will thaw the ice apart..."_

The song was old and Norwegian, so short and rough yet to Elsa, it was almost like a prophecy, a soothing melody and an open door for her, all at the same time. Even if her mother's voice was strained and hoarse from the day's speeches as Queen. Then, Elsa cut through the silence like a knife.

"It's my fault for striking Anna and-"

"No, no" Aida protested, her own tears pushing past the floodgate. "I handled it all wrong, I didn't know what to do… But what I do know is that I will _not_, under any circumstances lose you or Anna to powers, to… separation…If it kills me".

Elsa bit her tongue, translating the longer words Aida used as best as she could, her fingers busily intertwining with one another. As if Aida could read the the child's mind, she broke into yet another soft and gentle voice.

"I know you're so young, you have a lot to learn, a lot to understand and yet you're _still _learning, Elsa. As are me and your father. About… those powers most of all. We're still finding out about them, reading up on it and asking the trolls as much as possible. Please know we are trying".

Elsa then glanced down at her hands, not at all feeling _icy _towards the situation. But instead, acknowledging the fact that they were there, within her hands, her veins, her heart. She acknowledged the fact that yes- they were dangerous but also amazing, inspiringly amusing and overall, beautiful. From what she'd witnessed so far anyway.

A soft chuckle suddenly interrupted her thoughts and Elsa glanced up to see Aida wearing that warm smile. The type one would display after a reminiscent chat or song. Elsa then returned the smile, only faintly. If not barely a ghost mimic of one.

The two chat for a while, perhaps an hour or two more. Much more than the superiors would permit for one Queen but nonetheless. The time flew by like vast and gigantic stars and little by little, Elsa felt her shivery timid self opening up like a door to a new and flourishing romance. Everything was heading uphill, or so it seemed anyway.

Before Aida kissed her daughter goodnight and tucked her small body securely beneath the warm and cozy cotton silk of her bedspread and sheets, a few ambitious thoughts lingered in young Elsa's mind that night as she swiftly closed her eyes to dream about everything else Aida had said that night.

"_You will be able to control your powers, _without _gloves, I promise. The snow doesn't have to stay a hidden secret unless you _make _it that yourself" Aida passionately informed Elsa, as if it had all been her own past experience. But still, Elsa listened, with all her heart, body and soul, she listened carefully, making sure that she wouldn't miss any minor detail. Aida continued…_

"_Both me and your father think that it's best if you stay in here until you can control your powers without gloves. But Anna cannot know yet, she pass out again, fall unconscious, I'm sure but Elsa…" Aida gently stroked Elsa's cheek with the back of her soft hand and smiled a small and weathered smile. Elsa sheepishly glanced up._

"_I want you to have a chance at a normal life, perhaps this Kingdom, a husband and a family of your own. Just keep on practicing that glass trick and with all my heart, I promise it will all be like before and our family will be stronger and closer than you have ever known"._

_Elsa gazed up at her carer smiling brighter than the hot candlelight beside them that kept a pale yellow glow throughout the room. She hoped and desired desperately to return to how things were before like Aida had simply told her. When life was a game, when love was the oxygen she breathed and her sister, her wonderful sister who she loved more than anything was _always _present. _

_The warm and kind apologies of her mother did certainly help her remain confident that her future would become the past she missed so dearly. The hole in her heart was filling like a sweet tooth, mending like a fallen and shattered chandelier. _

_Soon. Very soon they'd repeat what had been done before._

"_I love you, Elsa. You know that" Aida whispered softly and the two held each other close once again. So warm and so loving… Reminding Elsa sweetly of Anna which of course was when the guilt started to seep in…_

I froze something so beloved, warm and beautiful, no wonder my parents forbid me to see my own sister… _Elsa thought foolishly._

_But instead of voicing her recurring thoughts, Elsa replied just as gently and meaningful, "I love you too, Mama"._

_It was not to last._

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hans awoke late and slightly surprised too.<p>

The young boy shifted his position, blocking out the harshly bright rays of sunlight that emanated in strong translucent bars of light, streaming from the window. He shuffled from his warm spot on the silken sheets to face Erik's bed. It was empty and neatly made. Hans sighed.

His sleep was so relaxing and peaceful that his homesickness had almost departed his mind. He'd even discarded of most of his gaudy sleep attire, just simply to feel that wonderful breeze, that icy chill caress his bare skin. If only he could open up more so that bittersweet coldness could reach the deep and dusty tombs of his heart. The place only few had ventured to- and survived. Yes, only few stayed worthy enough to remain locked safely in there.

Hans slowly heaved himself to his feet, flat on the freshly waxed wood, wincing gently as his bare feet came into contact with the cooled wood. (And not that often whoosh of cold that by now, he practically adored).

After regaining some balance for the morning, young Prince Hans skid across the shiny oak flooring to the large window that overlooked the warm sunny spells of gorgeous Arendelle. Summer really did hit it good, if not perfectly. Yet the snowy mountains in the distance still kept their perfectly robust and wintery shape. Just like ice. Something also seemed so magical about all of that white and baby blue scenery in the background. It was the least to say… enchanting.

A couple of knocks at the door broke hastily into Hans' trance and he swivelled around quickly to reveal before his eyes a middle-aged maid standing with a wide wicker basket in the long doorway.

Her grey hair was tied in a neat and tight bun, held compactly together with a dank green fabric that perfectly matched her long green dress. With Hans' experience back at where he called 'home', the woman appeared more a handmaiden than a plain old maid.

There was a small amount of silence that followed as the maid smiled towards Hans, her many wrinkles deepening like old valleys as she did so. Neither of them seemed distressed or uncomfortable given the situation and circumstances though.

"Oh, forgive me your highness, I had no idea you were making yourself decent" she finally spoke towards his half-naked self and fidgeting slightly with the basket still tightly in hand. Full of what, Hans couldn't yet decipher.

"Of course you didn't, the door was closed" Hans pointed out in a strict yet loose way, pacing quietly to retrieve the fresh clothes ladened out on his drawers. He deeply sighed once again.

"Your majesty… do you require any assistance?" She asked politely. _So she was a handmaiden… _Hans shook his head just as respectfully as she had done and showed her his flat palm in a call for silence which immediately filled the room, in a _less _respectful manner.

"I _can _dress myself" Hans stated in an uptight voice. "Thank you though" he added after conducting his rudeness.

Without further questioning at all, the old handmaiden nod once before leaving the room, closing the door shut as before behind her and Hans waited until footsteps no longer echoed across the empty halls before he too, returned to the activities required for this fateful day. It felt fateful anyway, full of promise. So much so that it made his knees tremble slightly as he thought deeply about it.

_What actually am I doing today? _He wandered as he started to undress his minor clothes and then, dress once more. He thought hard and after much replay of the day before, he sincerely hoped that Mona had not planned yet again another day to fool around with dolls and baby Princesses. Though he made it out to be one of his many terrible experiences… he felt warm that day.

He felt the nice and warm feeling one receives when their family returns and visits them after such a long trip and wait. Yes… Just for a moment, there was a warm and settling, tender and almost humble moment as Hans spent time listening to Anna, engaging with their small and silly conversations when he had countless opportunities to simply leave her there and walk away.

Thinking back, it was quite a weird and obscure moment as well. The Prince felt sort of alien and definitely out of place as if it were some new experience or journey. And in a way, every way. It was.

Hans though still, wasn't sure what to think about Anna as his wife or really anyone as his wife to be completely honest. Marriage, full stop. He just was not fond of that kind of commitment. All of the marriages he's ever witnessed around him were simply wilted tulips with no hope.

This was mostly due to the fact that Hans grew up to find out that people only married each other either for power, money, greed or to try and make do with something they think they want and need but can never truly find in this mice of a meal. Something that doesn't quite fit into the desires of their heart. That is what Hans knew, he learnt that much from his mother, Mona, his father and many of his older brothers.

Thankfully, Hans' train of thoughts passed and left through the tunnel of marriage and back to what he was actually doing. Dressing himself like one of Anna's dolls.

He popped the last silver button through its hole in the cream-coloured suit he was to wear for this eventful day. And he could practically tell that this outfit was chosen by none other than Mona. She always coaxed all the Westerguard brothers to wear whites and greys and especially white for Hans.

From Hans' field of knowledge in various books and past experiences, he randomly predicted that the reason behind such a clean and linium look was to either (a) prove his young innocence and tidiness/smartness or (b) a clever tactic used by many parents that restricts children from being… well, _children_. Basically meaning, they'll develop some kind of OCD paranoia over getting their clothes dirty and receiving scolding if they play and dirty up their forth , creating a neat-freak _Hans _child.

But then Hans thought (As he often did to keep his head above water and stay afloat) that… he wasn't really a child anymore, nor was he an adult. Perhaps that weird and God-awful dreadful stage most class as being a 'teenager'. But then again, his mind was so developed and also, he was _engaged _at twelve years old. Perhaps he was, in his mental mind, an adult.

Hans continued to think over these subjects as he slotted on his black boots, one at a time. A new thought entered his mind that indeed, only three out of the thirteen brothers (including himself) could actually neatly and properly dress themselves. The other ten needed petty assistance and Hans couldn't lie, that one fact always amused him because it was, a _fact_.

After chuckling faintly to himself, Hans strolled slowly towards the door, burying his hands deep into his pearly-white gloves as he did so each and everyday. Hiding something he could not deal with. But still, he smiled ever so softly as images of Princess Anna pooled into his mind and became bold and prominent in his head. She was a soft rose in his lonely and mostly-dead garden. Quite like a sisterly rose to him.

Once again, he felt admirably warm.

He'd technically been engaged twice. Now to Anna, before to Elsa. Even though Mona denied that ever happened and blamed Hans' crazy mind for casting false images. Hans knew he was correct and Mona was hiding something like she always was anyway. No change there.

But Elsa… she was a cold, icy and secluded feeling but that peculiar cold chill that Hans had grown much too fond of after visiting and sleeping in this lovely city of Arendelle. He almost wished that this city was his home. It was friendly and secure unlike the Southern Isles.

He then cracked open the door to find one of the very girls herself, her glossy and big bug-eyes glittering up in his direction upwards, a small smile playing at her lips. Hans discreetly wiped away his smile and stood straight like a chess piece, his chest puffed out in a stiff and royal pose.

"A-Anna…".

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><p><strong><span>AN: A short-ish chapter. Sorry it's taken so long. :(**

**Anyway, please leave a review because I love to hear what my readers think of my work! and remember to follow and fave, I lost all of them :/ **

**Lastly, I have a couple of new Helsa stories for anyone interested aha :D**

**~MaliJo x**


	7. A Hint of Doubt

**Chapter Seven**

A Hint of Doubt

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><p>Anna continued staring up at Hans' surprised form, a giggle hidden beneath her innocent gaze and a secret tucked safely and hidden between the corners of her small, pouted lips. Also, Hans noted that today she composed herself as if she knew something that Hans didn't, as if she were gripping and manipulating the leash that dragged before the young, flabbergasted Prince.<p>

After a long moment of silence, Hans discreetly smoothed his hair into the usual greased-back shape he'd always wear and with twitching glances this way and that, he twirled his fingers sheepishly together, nervously swallowing down a lump in his throat.

He'd also be lying if he said that the sweaty palms he had, the lengthy stutters and constant fidgets he made in Anna's presence didn't bother him. Because they did. Oh boy, they drove him nuts when it was so unnatural and unfamiliar to himself.

Before Arendelle, Hans was completely absent and unbreakable once he first arrived. But now, three days later, that hard and indestructible shell he'd worked so hard to cocoon himself inside was slowly breaking, becoming diminished before his very eyes and straight into the hands of Princess Anna, such a coy and charming young character, a girl full of energy, bubbles, love a sprite. She had seemed to accomplish mentally moving Hans and his inner conscience more than Mona's high expectations and constant rambling and pestering ever could.

But why? Anna had no commitment to Hans. Well, besides the fact that in later years they were to be married to one another, engaged first, technically speaking, engaged already. He sighed lamely. Hans couldn't deny that indeed, he'd become fond of Anna and all of her sweet and quirky antics, her innocent, curious glares of infatuation and wonderful laughs. But he could not for the life of him imagine the two as a future or present couple, let alone eventually become married. It just was not possible. Already within the period of a few eventful days, Anna had become like a sister to him despite never experiencing a real one before.

Funnily enough, Anna reminded Hans quite of himself. In fact, she was almost exactly like him, like his little mirror for various amounts of other reasons. One being the curious way she observed his expressions; it was the way Hans once viewed his many brothers (before he detected their true colours of course). And the more he had once observed his brothers as an even younger, impressionable boy still learning the language of Denmark and Norway, the bigger his step back from them became as he spied envy in their hooded eyes, blood and guilt on their hands and darkness in all four chambers of their writhed hearts.

"Hansy!" Anna chirped merrily, grasping and pulling him impatiently back into reality, quite literally.

Hans defensively shrugged the fellow redhead off of the end of his ironed sleeve and sighed a long exasperated sigh. "Don't call me that" he softly requested with a hint of demand lining his gentle tone. Quiet being because he wanted not to startle the Princess despite his slight grudge.

"Okay" Anna replied simply, her attention already departing the topic. Hans fidgeted, quietly composing himself into the good guy he always had to be just as he had been taught and told from the moment he first opened his green, green eyes until the present day and every moment to follow after.

"Good, then" Hans quipped, stroking back his hair for the second time, that nervous voice of his quickly subsiding at the poor child's naivety. His hair was almost always combed back, just how he liked it. With no parting or fringe. But now it was time for Hans to ask the question that had been playing at his mind for a while now, lingering in his brain like a foul smell, a lost dog, a lost Anna.

"Why are you… actually here?" Hans questioned, his head leant sideward, quickly biting his lip for fear of sounding rude before he remembered, Anna of all people wouldn't care about how he sounded.

"I came to play" Anna smiled with wide orbs.

"To play?" Hans echoed, crouching down slightly to reach her height.

"Yes"

"And you came here… because?"

Anna hesitated her answer before saying, with her feet circling patterns on the hall floor. "It's just, it gets a little lonely is all."

Hans glanced up at the white ceiling in a deep ocean of thought. _'It gets a little lonely' _he chanted in his head precariously to himself. He empathized with Anna. Parents who may as well not exist due to their constant non-existence, an older sister who hides like a critter behind a wooden door. It was just Anna, alone. Hans may have an abundance of annoying, crude and rude brothers as company, but nonetheless… it was company. Some kind of dysfunctional form of one-sided company. Whether he wanted it, or not. However, Anna did want a little bit of attention and fair enough to her, she lacked it. So he opened the door to her after all, quite physically when she knocked. He gazed down at her. _I'd never shut a little sister like you out _he thought with a faint smile.

He sighed, still wearing that soft, content smile, gently patting Anna on the head, his fingers ruffling through the auburn mess of short hair that was tied back into a small but tight ponytail and she grinned as he drew his hand back to rest at his side, a smile still ghosting over his own thin lips.

And then, a thought occurred to Hans: _Perhaps I don't need to lie in front of Anna; maybe being myself isn't such a bad idea. After all, it's the least I can do for her, be kind and true. I'll try to keep to that vow. _

Hans thought he had it bad, marrying a girl soon that he barely knew fully, who would be unfortunately, a challenge to love the way a husband was expected to love his wife. He was too young for that but Anna… she didn't even know that they were one day to be married, oblivious to the very event. It was indeed unfair that she hadn't been told but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that she didn't have to fight the mind-gnawing burdens of the future.

"What do you want to play, then?" Hans asked warmly.

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><p>Elsa, who had been awake since the crack of dawn where the sun rose early in the morning, stood breathing slowly, in and out with a gradual, preparing pace, bars of light streaking through the window and hitting through a glass of sparkling water, lukewarm and motionless. Elsa stared at it intently as if it were returning the determined glare.<p>

The older Princess had been up and awake since the previous night first faded into a small amount of light, it was her favourite time to be awake for and watch. Dawn.

She liked to sit back and gaze towards the peaches and pastels of the gorgeous sunrise that cast a majestic golden glow over the roofs of Arendelle homes and sharp point of the castle's tower-tops. It was truly a breath taking sight and also calming towards Elsa before she would proceed with her practice- the practice she'd need to keep her powers under a natural control like Edwin and Aida had dealt with her; which in term would result in the long-awaited reunion of her much adored sister and maybe even the privilege of matching face to the gentle voice that spoke to her through her door that other night, at the most propitious time of the morning.

Going off topic,, she already felt a slight almost warm pull to this boy, his wonderful soothing voice. Prince Hans she supposed, who she barely knew but somehow almost completely knew, in every possible way, shape and form. She smiled. With images of a promising future in mind, she felt all her troubles would just melt away with the heat, she could do anything if she set her mind to it.

With all the concentration she possessed, Elsa swiftly outstretched her arm, strong and sturdy, straight and steady. Her eyes envisioned a short-distance line, shining a white and bright spotlight on the shimmering glass of water. The blonde then inhaled deeply and soon after, exhaled, her eyelids draping closed and opening in no rush with her slow-motioned movements.

After reassuring herself a few times over that things could and would turn out good and worry was nothing to worry about, Elsa gently cast her hand above the glass of water and it just hovered there as still as an owl whilst all the time, her eyes remained tightly shut in fear of the outcome.

Elsa's palms flushed quickly with cold and icy air that had travelled at the speed of light through her veins yet as she cautiously peaked open either eye, the water still stood as a liquid, rippling and swirling like a liquid, too. A mile-wide smile crawled across Elsa's happy face, bright and wide like the moon as a surge, electrical flow of courage travelled right through her.

She confidently wafted her hand before the rim of the clean glass once more, waving her fingers some distance from the skin of the still water. Twice okay but on the third time, it wasn't too lucky.

The water froze over into a thick and strong block of ice, expanding the mass of the water that broke through and shattered the glass as its water returned to its solid form. The container shattered into hundred of small nipping shards and larger jagged pieces of glass. Elsa's heart sank and her arms wilted like a parched flower to her sides.

More glass tumbled from the surface to the floor, The ice continued to remain motionless, glittering in the sunshine rays from the slightly ajar window, standing still and glorious like a trophy of failure. An object to simply remind the poor girl at how she nervously succeeded at being unsuccessful.

Barely three minutes later, Edwin patrolled in Elsa's chamber with a stern, almost fierce-looking expression, glancing to the broken glass and then to his daughter… back and forth with concern in his pale, aging eyes that somehow managed to form a sharp and intimidating stare.

That was until he watched Elsa's face slowly crumple and soon after, his own face softened, his angry, bolted shoulders rested into a reassuring position before he knelt down and before she could hesitate and run, he pulled her into a tight hug which she fearfully failed to return, the blue magic bubbling at her fingertips.

"It's okay…" Edwin gently whispered, stroking down her silky curls of platinum blonde hair. "Just keep trying" he told her in yet again, a hushed tone.

Elsa trickily held back a tsunami of suppressed tears that she'd held down last night with the extra help of both excitement and determination. She made sure her cold hands were a safe distance away from risky contact with her father.

"I know I'll get it soon" Elsa promised in a small sigh packed full of burning hope.

"Of course you will" the King smiled wryly but there was a thick tint of uncertainty in his deep fatherly voice and noticeable doubt behind his eyes. Elsa could detect it; the disappointment, the doubt, the fear and soon came to find, she'd never be able to surpass that. She could never ignore it.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Just a short chapter for today but the next is already partially written, I just need to finish, proof-read and edit before I can publish it. Also I don't want to feed you all too fast haha. Thanks for your patience anyhow :)**

**May I suggest a story I am enjoying at the moment, it hasn't long begun of course, here: ** s/10755130/1/Before-Sunrise** - A great story if you're a fan of both _Tangled_ and _Frozen_. But if you're a hard core Helsa shipper, maybe it's not the best thing for you but the writing language is beautiful and even though there's only a short introduction and note, you can tell it's going to be good. Check it out if you have time, the author is very talented! Enjoy your day! :D Remember to drop a review, I miss them :(**

**~MaliJo x**


	8. Second Encounter (Part One)

**Chapter Eight**

The Second Encounter (Part One)

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><p>A week had passed. A boring, dull and quiet week approached and left Hans just like the snow would each winter; and through those seven days of play-dates with Anna, 'hide and seek' with Mona and eye-spy with Erik and Johan whilst trying to impress the royal family of Arendelle at the same time, well, curiosity had gotten the better of him.<p>

Like many times before, Hans hauled himself out of bed, slithering his feet into a pair of warm slippers and creeping out of bed to the much visited candle drawer, lighting all the forms and shadows of the room.

_Here I go, once again._

It was pitch black outside, the bulbous moon completely out of sight. April showers were taking their forms tonight of dense grey clouds and raindrop tears streaming down the glass of the windows and Hans padded across the cold floor towards the doorway, gently creaking it open and closed again behind him, delighted that Erik's noisy sleeping habits had otherwise improved since he last held this trembling candle and snuck secretly out of his room.

Where to? To go and speak to Princess Elsa again. He had many unanswered questions he pined the answers for. He also missed the comforting cold he felt on the other side of her beloved door, the energy that pulsated through their hands and then the wood, so close, it was almost touching and not too far away… How utter exhilarating, just the thought.

Gliding across the dark, empty hall, Hans was cautious not to make any sudden movements or sounds. To his knowledge, everybody in this palace was asleep besides Elsa. No one could tell that for sure, but he just knew that her eyes were open right now, hopefully not in too much distress.

After only a few steps into the process, the prince jolted upwards in surprise as he heard a trip, tumble, bump and then a hushed cry behind him.

_Well, supposedly everyone was asleep._

Hans gasped, his heart pounding into his throat. He shivered in fear and very nearly dropped the candle once again like that night before. But he didn't.

There was once again silence in the great dark halls and Hans stood there motionless, squinting through soft orange light to make out a quivering small figure, frozen halfway into a steep and feigning desperately- failing to keep silent in Hans' presence.

It took only moments of Hans tilting his head in confusion to fully identify the creeper. Anna, of course. And after that minor realization, it all clicked and the penny dropped- those footsteps he heard echo down the halls on his first encounter with Elsa wasn't just his sore, tired mind conjuring weird hallucinations, but rather, the curious Anna following behind him.

Hans wanted to feel angry about this, about Anna following him and being somewhat nosy so then in term, he would have a perfect excuse to resort to his grumpy, decadent self who originally sailed here a week or so ago. But to his dismay, all he felt was happiness. Why? He didn't quite know…

Perhaps he felt warm inside because of these new blossoming feelings for Anna, marvelling in becoming this older, dependant figure for her… It was a gradually expanding feeling of safe and warm and family love. A wholesome feeling, some may say. But overall, it was everything he should have felt for his many brothers and everything they should have felt for him back. In an ideal world anyway. Maybe Hans was just happy that he had someone close and friendly to accompany him on his late a second journey to this wonderful, mysterious creature.

"Anna" Hans whispered through the dark space between the two. "I know it is you, so you may as well come here."

Anna was reluctant at first, holding back her step and chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek; but if there was one thing that Anna was great at, it was seeing the happy ending in everything. Literally, everything. So of course Anna detected the calm, soothing wave of Hans' whisper, otherwise she would have scuttled back to her chamber rather than drift towards the prince, her large glass eyes lighting up below him beneath the candlelight.

"You're after my sister again, aren't you?" she queried and Hans placed his forefinger on his lips, indicating for her to keep quiet. She immediately mimicked him. Hans rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I am… and you?" Hans replied quietly.

"Elsa" Anna said "and you know I do this all the time. But going with someone else… it's… well, it's crazy!"

"Then why do it?"

"Because you know I was there last time. She actually talks to you and I don't know why… She just shuts me out. I think bringing you along might work."

"Is that all? I'm honoured to be your key to Elsa" Hans joked sarcastically before he realised that Anna was probably unfamiliar with the concept of sarcasm (and many form of speech considering she got no attention.)

Before Hans could even start to let Anna's issues of neglect dement his calm and relatively happy mood, Anna interjected, somewhat answering Hans' sarcastic quip, his rhetorical question if you will. Though the little princess most likely hadn't any idea on rhetorical questions either.

"That's not the only reason" she began "I happen to love crazy ideas." Hans then chuckled.

"Me too."

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><p>The chit-chat went on for a while until Hans glanced around him with a puzzled expression lining his features. He had been simply following Anna and it seemed she had taken him away from Elsa's chamber, or at least how Hans had remembered the route anyway.<p>

"Uh… Anna…" Hans started.

"Yes?" Anna answered.

"Well, um, I'm unsure that this is the way to your sister's chamber"

"Of course it's not, we're going to the parlour first."

Hans came to an abrupt halt whilst Anna's footsteps continued to echo forward. _The parlour? _Hans thought _so we're going to the kitchens? _

Suddenly realising that he had fallen behind and Anna was already approaching the top of the spiral staircase, Hans jogged towards the princess and followed her gingerly down each step.

"Why are we going to the parlour?" Hans questioned "is Elsa down there?!" And suddenly he received a mental image of Princess Elsa midnight feasting on toffees, chocolates and hard candy sweets. Anything with the sweet taste of sugar.

"No, no, don't be absurd!" Anna giggled and Hans grinned proudly at her use of vocabulary since he had seriously been starting to doubt it. Perhaps she was picking up some of his synonyms.

"Okay then, very well, why are we going to the parlour?" He asked.

"Because I wouldn't go into Elsa's room without some form of chocolate" Anna told him.

"Wait, we're going _into _her room?"

"Yes, we can't talk to her in the hallway forever, we'll soon get caught and besides, you, me, chocolate, in her room. Maybe it will calm her down."

"Sure." But that was far, far away from a good idea. How do you calm a lonely, nervous girl down with more people? Hans had his many doubts and he highly doubted that Anna's very easily-said-than-done plan would work; no matter how outstanding it may have sounded.

Anna had obviously done this a good few times before, tip-toeing into the kitchen at night, because the two had somehow managed to whizz through the castle's ground floor and into the kitchens without making a single sound. Hans was tempted to let Anna hold the candle before he decided that probably wasn't the best idea. Him holding their only light forced Anna to stay close to him and not run off ahead because no matter how close and affectionate Hans was becoming to Arendelle, he still had trouble finding his way around the castle from time to time. In fact, the only way he'd got to Elsa was by following the comforting chill which would embed itself inside Hans, deep inside.

It didn't take long for the creeping pair to reach the royal kitchens which were breezily cold, dark but shiny and spotless. Hans gently closed the door shut behind Anna and placed his candle down on a clear surface top, gandering around for more fresh sticks of wax whilst Anna skid across the navy tiles.

"Anna" Hans whispered to grab her attention "where are some candlesticks?" But she wasn't listening, already Anna was hurrying off to a large wooden door, bracing herself to push it open. The parlour.

The prince rolled his eyes before eagerly following Anna towards the door. "Just push it" he told her but she hesitated. So Hans faintly chuckled and pushed open the door for the both of them.

Instantly, cold air flushed past the two warm bodies and Anna's cheeks stiffened. Despite it was a calm and swift cold breeze, it wasn't the powerful and magical coolness that brought Hans up and off his feet, but an artificial, lonely type of dark cold. He longed for the magic, for the mere reassurement of his candle that was slowly dying down back in the kitchen, the wax stick melting close to nothing.

However, his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness and examining the space around him, shaped and figures revealed to him many of the shelves, equipped with fruit, vegetables, chocolate and many ingredients of different kinds.

Anna's mouth salivated to the sight and smell of food and her chest was pumped full of adrenaline (or maybe it's called sugar rush.)

Breaking into your own parlour at night may have been a petty crime back in the Southern Isles where murder, rape, theft and other acts of indecent ness were far more prominent and important. Yet here, a small sneak-out like this was worth the time. Though Hans was overjoyed with excitement to finally match a voice and a pair of snowy gloves to a face… But he was kind of scared, nervous that the girl he had been longing to meet for ages would become like everybody else in his miserable life: a let down, just a beautiful form of rejection. Who could ever love a silly boy like him, eh?

"Ahah, here it is!" Anna gasped in glee, interrupting Hans' depressing string of thought.

The giddy princess returned to Hans' side, hauling a chocolate cake more or less the size of herself, all of the three cake tiers seeping with creams and smothered in melted caramel and sticky chocolate. Such a thing would make Hans belch if he were back home where the boys all had a strict diet of meat and vegetables. So speaking lightly, he'd never eaten chocolate cake, and here one was, half the size of him and practically begging to be devoured. He licked his lips hungrily and gazed at it intently.

But he was once again struck from his daze once he heard a loud 'shing' of metal across metal and glanced over to see Anna holding a very wide knife, sharp and peril. His heart stopped suddenly and his body nearly paralyzed as he watched her stool wobble beneath her, large blade still in hand.

When you're watching from afar a situation like this: young child holding a knife rather high up and inevitably about to fall, instincts shouldn't fail you; nor should common sense! So when Hans caught sight of the knife, he plunged towards her, all his obscure feelings churning round and round like a grinder inside of him.

On sheer luck of timing and agility, Hans caught Anna before the stood gave into the weight, gravity and fidgeting, the prince was also able to safely retrieve the weapon/kitchen-tool-that-should-not-be-used-by-children before any sightings of blood would occur. Lastly, he took a well-deserved sigh of relief, turning his attention to the mischievous menace only to find that she was utterly oblivious to her risks, not to mention Hans' selfless act of heroicness.

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><p><span><strong>AN:**** Uh... heyyyy, where have you been? ;D Nah, just kidding. Beat me for this lazy atitiude! And even more laziness when I decide to write the second part of this sucky chapter tomorrow or something :( Which I will most likely join onto this chapter and, oh glob, confusing! Anyway, I just felt I needed to update this. I hope it's not getting too boring... I feel like it is. Well, the kiddy chapters are nearly done I swear, like 2 more and I'm skipping into terrible teens. Please review what you think! **

**~MaliJo x**

**P.S. If you have time, I'd really appreciate it if anyone would be bothered to check out my deviantart... Link is in profile ;)**


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